#582 Mary Beth Willard: Why It’s OK to Enjoy the Work of Immoral Artists
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 13th 2021.
Dr. Mary Beth Willard is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Weber State University. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University and writes primarily in aesthetics and blogs at aestheticsforbirds.com. She is the author of Why It’s OK to Enjoy the Work of Immoral Artists.
In this episode, we focus on Why It’s OK to Enjoy the Work of Immoral Artists. We first discuss how aesthetic questions might relate to ethical ones. We then ask if art can itself be immoral. We discuss the complicated questions of how and when the work of an artist should be condemned. We talk about the #metoo movement, cancel culture, and the presumption of guilt. We get into how people should feel about being influenced by immoral artists. We discuss if it matters that people differ in their moral tastes. After focusing on artists and consumers, we also mention platforms. Finally, we talk about ethical consumption in other domains.
Time Links:
Intro
The aesthetics and ethics of the book
Immoral artists, and immoral art?
How should artists be condemned?
The #meetoo movement, and presumption of guilt
Being influenced by immoral artists
Different moral tastes
What about the platforms?
Ethical consumption
Follow Dr. Willard’s work!
Follow Willard’s work:
Website: https://bit.ly/3bQltXO
PhilPeople profile: https://bit.ly/3a0ny28
Why It’s OK to Enjoy the Work of Immoral Artists: https://amzn.to/3fgjLBo